Saturday

She knows the Lady Raiders are only shooting 36.4 percent in Big 12 Conference this season - good enough for eighth in the league.

Really, there are only three statistical categories in which the Texas Tech women's basketball team resides within the top four in the league: Steals, turnover margin and free-throw percentage.

"Those are really big reasons why we're in the position we are right now," Curry said earlier this week. "As ugly as those numbers are, if you look back at the history of the game, if you can take care of the ball and make your free throws, something good's going to happen."

Actually there is another category Tech is in the top four in: Winning percentage.

Entering Sunday's noon game at Kansas, the Lady Raiders (19-7, 9-5) sit in third place in the league - half a game behind Iowa State, and half a game ahead of Oklahoma. The Jayhawks (16-9, 7-7) are tied for sixth with West Virginia.

So even though Tech is in the middle of the pack in the majority of the stat book, the areas the Lady Raiders rise above have led to plenty of success this season.

"If you can just value possessions and make sure that you take care of the ones that you have and just finish the play with made free throws," Curry said, "it's going to make a difference."

The Lady Raiders are coming off a 69-62 victory against Texas where Tech's advantage in turnovers and free throws couldn't have been more evident. Led by a dogged effort from its senior guards, Tech had a 26-2 scoring advantage off takeaways. The Lady Raiders also shot nearly 81 percent from the foul line (21 of 26). Those two stats helped nullify a 36.7 percent clip from the floor.

The first time Tech played Kansas (a 70-62 Lady Raider victory Jan. 19 in United Spirit Arena), the two teams had nearly identical shooting and free-throw percentages as well as turnovers.

However, Tech owned a 17-8 scoring margin off those turnovers, which helped knock off the then-No. 23 Jayhawks.

With a season sweep of Kansas on the mind of the Lady Raiders - it would be the fourth sweep of an opponent of the season for Tech - senior guard Casey Morris doesn't want to satisfy herself with another 37-percent shooting effort.

"I think shooting matters and the percentages in the end are going to end up mattering when we get to the tournament and everything like that," she said, "but yea hustle plays always helps with that kind of stuff. If we're the most aggressive team and we hustle the most and you can see we want it the most, then that will determine the outcome of the game."

To comment on this story:

thomas.magelssen@lubbockonline.com • 766-8723

george.watson@lubbockonline.com • 766-2166

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.